Arsenal news: Mesut Ozil is now ‘a team player’ and can start against Everton, says Unai Emery

Unai Emery says Mesut Ozil will be allowed to start more away matches because he is now “playing like a team player”.

Superlative home form has propelled Arsenal into the top four and Ozil has been a big part of helping the Gunners to eight successive Premier League victories at the Emirates Stadium.

Emery dropped the German altogether earlier in the season over concerns about his work-rate and began with him on the bench for other away fixtures. Indeed, Ozil has not started a game north of London since mid-September.

Five of the Gunners’ remaining league fixtures are away however, starting at Everton tomorrow, and Emery indicated that at long last Ozil had convinced his manager he was worth a go in a game where defensive work was likely to be required.

“Sometimes it was because we needed something different, sometimes he was injured,” said Emery on Ozil’s earlier away absences. “Now he’s OK, training every day and he can play in different systems – 4-2-3-1, which is maybe the best position for him, but also sometimes 4-3-1-2 where he is playing like a team player, and also 3-4-1-2.

“We can change the different systems with him and he can play to the left or right. Most important is to be ready and available to help us and now he is in this way.”

Securing Champions League qualification would certainly be regarded as a fine debut season for Emery in the eyes of supporters, especially if it came through league placing rather than the Europa League.

Emery was adamant that putting the foundations in place for a genuine title challenge in the future had always been his aim.

“I earned titles in Paris and in Seville,” he said. “I think here we need to have the same objective. To win titles in the present and in the future.

“To win the Premier League is difficult but our progress is to be consistent and to create a big team to achieve that.

“I am enjoying my progress with the players to develop and to be consistent. I want to score a lot of goals and I want to be stronger defensively with this team. Each moment is a big challenge for this team to progress and I am here for that.

“Titles, to be with the best teams in the world in the Champions League, to have the best players in the world and to achieve the best targets. This is my career in the past and I want to do the same in the future.”

Liverpool turned themselves from also-rans to major trophy contenders in January last year by spending £75m on Virgil van Dijk, a world-record fee for a defender. Emery was able to make zero permanent signings during the most recent transfer window as the Gunners waited for new sponsorship deals to kick in at the end of the season. Did he feel he would ever be handed the opportunity to make a game-changing single signing of that calibre?

In the past and present we have great work in the club, watching players, finding and signing young players to develop in the academy,” he said. “I have a big respect for that work. After we can also buy some players to give us the performance like Van Dijk at Liverpool. We can share both situations, developing players in the academy and signing and spending money on players to help us.”